Posted by Michael Wonder on 11 Feb 2017
‘Cost shifting’ by public hospitals blamed for pushing up the cost of private health insurance
11 February 2017 - You show up at the emergency room injured, vulnerable and in distress.
After being seen my a triage nurse, you’re admitted to the hospital and seen by a doctor.
But before this happens, a crucial decision must be made: will you be treated as a public or private patient?
If you’re one of the 13 million Australians with private health insurance, this choice could have an impact beyond the free newspaper and car parking space that hospitals use to lure patients into billing their insurer for the stay.
With health insurers now pouring more than $1 billion a year into public hospitals, patients who choose the private option are unwittingly driving up premiums — which are set to rise yet again in April.
